Uganda and Italy held their first joint business and investment forum in Rome, according to ecofinagency.com. The event, reported as the First Uganda-Italy Business & Investment Forum 2026, was aimed at deepening cooperation between the two countries on investment and business.
Uganda used the forum to seek Italian capital as part of an effort to widen its trade beyond coffee, ChimpReports reported. The country is targeting deals in oil, pharmaceuticals and energy, according to redpepper.co.ug.
Reporting on the forum also pointed to value addition and regional markets as priorities, Uganda Radionetwork said. The Uganda Media Centre listed the Rome gathering as the first of its kind between the two sides.
The push fits a broader pattern in which Uganda is trying to draw foreign investment into sectors beyond its traditional agricultural exports. Coffee has long been a mainstay of its trade with Italy and other European markets, and Kampala is now looking to build ties in industrial and energy areas as well. The forum gave Ugandan officials and businesses a platform to make that case directly to Italian investors.
What to watch next: whether the Rome talks produce concrete investment commitments, and which sectors draw the first deals.
